Today's Paper
» NATIONAL
» ANDHRA PRADESH

Banks accused of denying loans to farmers

ANANTAPUR: The Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham (APRS) affiliated to CPI (M) staged a dharna outside Revenue Bhavan, the venue of grievances day, in the Collectorate here on Monday alleging that bankers were denying crop loans to farmers in several villages on petty grounds.

District secretary of CPI (M) G. Obulakonda Reddy and district secretary of APRS P. Peddi Reddy alleged that managers of some bank branches were seeking bribe for sanctioning loans. Some others had arranged middlemen and brokers for them to collect money from farmers in lieu of issuing loans, they charged.

The bankers were claiming that they had already disbursed about Rs. 890 crore loans already but farmers in several villages were not getting fresh loans even after making repeated rounds to banks concerned last year and this year. Citing an example they stated that farmers of Tarimela and surrounding villages had made a request with the regional office of APGB here after their vain bid to get loans in the bank in their village.

But, the branch officials were refusing to sanction loans and questioning the farmers for lodging complaints with the regional office and also using filthy language against the farmers. Several branches of various banks were denying sanctioning of loans citing lack of agreement forms. Chennekothapalli, Roddam and Medapuram branches of Canara Bank and Sanivaripalli branch of Syndicate Bank were among such branches. Besides, the banks had also not returned the documents and pattadar passbooks of farmers whose loans were waived last year and they were also not sanctioned fresh loans.

Private persons were selling agreement forms at Rs. 50 to 100 each in Kothacheruvu branch of APGB, they alleged.